Continuing our series of alumni successes, here is part 3.
So does ‘Make Art That Sells’ actually work? Do artists who take the class actually sell more art? Well yes, they do. We asked class participants for examples of their successes since taking the course, and were staggered by the response, bearing in mind that some people only took the course earlier in the year. Here is part 1 in our series.
Students have since secured licensing deals in the gift, editorial, baby apparel, bolt fabric, wall art, greetings, home décor, paper and fashion markets, many have won competitions and a number have been signed for representation.
It’s also really important to say that people join Make Art That Sells (MATS) at different stages of their creative journey. Some are nearly ready to seek out work, others less so. For many people the greatest breakthrough is a new level of confidence in their work, a fresh love of creating, or a deep feeling of connection with others in the community. Success looks different for everyone. The licensing deals, competition wins and studio signings are the easy things to measure. The impact it makes on people’s lives – on the way they see themselves as artists, and the way the see their work – is perhaps the thing that we are most proud of.
As we approach the last session of MATS A & B for 2015, we wanted to celebrate some student success from the past year.
Here is a selection of class participants who have a lot to celebrate since taking Make Art That Sells. If you want this for YOUR art career, join us for the next class which begins on Monday 19 October.
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Anette Heiberg
- I sold several of the maps created for the editorial assignment within days of finishing the piece, including prints bought by the municipality to decorate the local kindergarten.
- My children’s apparel assignment won me a runner up prize in the Print & Pattern Scholarship for The Art & Business of Surface Pattern Design
See more of Anette’s work here: https://www.anetteheiberg.com
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Tjarda Borsboom
“I took MATS A when I just started working on my own as a freelance illustrator. I just resigned (I was a product designer, mostly for mass production for kids) and felt confidence, but also a bit lost. The most important things that helped me right away: I learned how to send my work out. I learned a lot about building a good portfolio and I made the right art for my portfolio.
- Commissioned for an editorial illustration for Dutch magazine “Zomer” about travelling. This commission was based on the Editorial project I made for MATS B (the map assignment)
- Runner up in the Print & Pattern Design Scholarship for The Art and Business of Surface Pattern Design. (JPG: “ABSPD_PATTERN_TJARDA_
BORSBOOM”) - Got signed for representation by ‘Tekenteam’, a Dutch illustration agency
- Work licensed for a few Card companies
- Semi finalist in the Global Talent Search 2014
Kim Gann
“Mats gave me the knowledge to take the steps into Licensing and to Create my Joy.”
Since taking MATS:
- Fabric Licensing Deal with P&B Textiles
- Flying Sweetly
- Featured in Quiltmaker Magazine March/April issue
- Second fabric collections shipping Spring 2015 Fancy Feathers
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Kim Malek
- I’ve signed contracts with 3 new licensees in home decor, who have each selected more than a dozen images to produce.
- I will have my own line with at least one of them.
- Some of the images are directly from MATS projects, and some are images from my portfolio I revised after taking MATS.
- I received an editorial commission for a map, specifically for the style of my map assignment from MATS.
See more of Kim’s work here: www.malekstudio.com
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If you want this for YOUR art career, join us here for the next round of Make Art That Sells.
The next session will take place Monday 19 October 2015, registration is open here! This is the last time that Lilla will be providing live feedback for MATS A & B, so join us now to be in with a chance of having your work reviewed in class!
